Spatial and Temporal Somatotype Variation in Oraon Tea Garden and Agricultural Labourers of Alipurduar District, West Bengal

Abstract

Somatotype is used to explore spatial and temporal variations of body physique in relation to varying degrees of environmental and cultural changes. Empirical studies on spatial and temporal variations of somatotype in similar groups living in different time points are scanty. The present study tries to find the similarities/difference in somatotype within occupational group having same ethnicity, same environment in two time points and between two occupational groups in two time points. For this study, data on anthropometric traits and somatotype components were collected from 182 tea garden (TG) and 222 agricultural (AG) Oraon labourers in 1990 and again on 207 TG and 216 AG Oraon labourers in 2016 from Alipurduar district, West Bengal, India on the same group and region. The study showed the mean values of anthropometric traits were higher in both TG and AG labourers of2016 than that of1990, irrespective of sex. Endomorphic component significantly increased and mesomorphic and ectomorphic components decreased in both TG and AG labourers of 2016. TG and AG labourers in either time point show occupational differences only in males. Male AG labourers have high ectomorphic and endomorphic components than male TG labourers in either time points. However, female TG labourers of2016 show high endomorphic component than AG labourers, indicative of less physical activity by the TG females. The findings show that both the occupational groups (TG and AG) converted towards endomorph over time. Spatial differences in somatotype exist between TG and AG even in different time points, indicative of occupational differences.